Planets WebQuest

Introduction

You and your partner have been asked by NASA to visit and explore one of the planets in our solar system. There are eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Also, there is Pluto, it is a dwarf planet. All of these planets are fascinating and worthy of exploration. NASA only has funds to explore just one planet so your group must pick the best one and convince NASA that it is the one most worthy to explore.

Task

1. To get a basic idea about each planet go to NASA's StarChild website and read about each one. (Note: Once you read about a planet, click the back button to select and read about another planet.)

2. When you are done you should read the Enchanted Learning's, "The Planets" website to learn about the planets and help you understand how the planets compare to each other. Consider the following:

what the surface is like
it’s size (diameter) of the planet
it’s atmosphere
it’s climate (temperature range)
it’s distance from the sun
if it has satellites (moons) how many it has
the length of a day (how long it takes to rotate on its axis)
the length of year (how long it takes to orbit around the sun)
whether or not it has been visited by spacecraft
whether or not it is likely to have life on it
most fascinating facts about the planet

3. Next, you and your partner, should use the Planets in Our Solar System form (given to you by your teacher) to circle the categories that show the “least” with a BLUE pe,\n and the “most” with a RED pen. The following table has information to help you do this.

Column to use	Circle with Blue pen	Circle with Red pen
Distance from the sun	Closest planet	Farthest planet
Period of Revolution around sun (orbit)	Shortest revolution	Longest revolution
Period of rotation (1 planetary day)	Shortest day	Longest day
Diameter	Smallest	Largest
Temperature	Coldest	Hottest
Number of Moons	No moons	Most moons

4. Gravity, the force with which an objects pulls things toward it, determines how much something weighs. Different planets have different amounts of gravity. Well have some fun guessing what you will weigh on each planet by selecting the following link:
NASA Solar System Exploration: Your Weight in Space

5. Then you should create a 2 minute PhotoStory presentation to explain what you learned about your planet and WHY it is the best planet for NASA to explore next..

Process

Now that you and your partner are familiar with all the planets decide which one most deserves for NASA to fund further exploration of. Then using the Best Planet in the Solar Systems Notes form (that your teacher should give you) jot down the information you learn about your selected planet. For more information visit at least two of the links below:

Note: Be careful when you are reading about the planets because the articles use different units of measure. For temperature they may use degrees Fahrenheit, Celcius, or Kelvin. For distance, they will use light years, kilometers, or miles.

Links for additional information about planets:
Web Link	Description
Cobb Virtual Library	From here select Elementary and then Britannica Online. You will have to type the name of your planet in the search box. Britannica has good basic information about planets. Also, to have it read it to you, click the megaphone in the top left corner.
Nine Planets for Kids	Great information and pictures.
Star Child Planets - Level 2	More detailed information at a higher reading level..
Fun with Science: Planet Sizes from Lunar and Planetary Institute	Uses food to compare the size differences between the planets.
Solar System Exploration	Information about what NASA is looking to learn about planets
Space Probes from StarChild - Level 2	Information about what exploration of our solar system has already been done..

It is important to give credit to your sources of information. It is part of following the Copyright Law. On your Best Planet in the Solar System notes form there is a place to record where you find your information. You can do this by using the online program, Citation Maker. Watch the video, "How to Use CitationMaker" to learn how to use it. You will need to following information for each website you use:

Article: ______________________________________________________(will be the name of your planet)
Title of website________________________________________________(ex. StarChild
URL of site___________________________________________________(web address at top)
Date viewed__________________________________________________ (today's date - ex. 8/5/10)

For example:

Article: Mercury
Title of website: The Nine Planets for Kids
URL: http://kids.nineplanets.org/
Date viewed: June 14, 2010

How to Create a PhotoStory:

Steps	Description
Write Script	Use your notes to create a script and storyboard (Best Planets Storyboard).
Find Pictures	Use this website to find pictures: NASA Solar System Exploration (NOTE: To save picture, right click. Then select "Save picture as". Then open your student folder on the server to save.)
Take Pictures of you and your partner	You can borrow the library's camera to take and download pictures of you and your partner to add to your Photostory.
Create the Photostory	Use Photostory to create your commercial. Watch instructional videos to learn how to use the program. Video: How to Import Pictures Video: How to Create Text Video: How to Narrate Video: Create Transitions and Motion Video: How to Add Music and Finish

Evaluation

Your teacher will use the following rubric to grade your Photostory on "Best Planet in the Solar System Blast Off"

Presentation Rubric
Scale Criteria	1 Below Expectation	2 Needs Improvement	3 Meets Expectation	4 Exceeds Expectation
Team correctly color-coded the “Planets in the Solar System”	Team got less than 50% correct..	Team got 50-75% of data correct.	Team got 75-90% of data correct.	Team got 90-100% of the data correct.
Team produced a product that is attractive and creative.	Use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. is evident, but these often distract from the presentation of content.	Makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc., but occasionally there detract from the presentation of content.	Makes good use font, color, graphics, effects etc. to enhance the presentation.	Makes excellent use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance the presentation.
Team produce a product that is organized	There was no clear of logical organizational structure.	Most of the content is logically organized and clearly presented.	The overall organization and presentation is appropriate.	Content is well organized, easy to understand, and clearly presented.
Team included the required facts	0-4 facts are included. Or more facts are included by are mostly incorrect	5-7 facts are included accurately. Others may be included by are inaccurate.	8-11 facts are included accurately. Others may be included by are inaccurate.	12 or more are included and are accurate.
Team produced a product that exhibits proper mechanics of writing and speaking	More than 4 misspelling and/or grammar errors.	Four misspellings and/or grammatical errors.	2-3 misspellings or grammatical errors and the language shows understanding of content.	No misspellings or grammatical errors and the language used shows an in depth understanding of the material.
Team cites their sources	Team fails to cite their sources	Team cite some of their sources. But, they are not cited accurately.	Team cite most of their sources, mostly accurately.	Team cite all their sources accurately.
Team makes a persuasive argument	Presentation receives no votes.	Presentation receives less than 25% of class support.	Presentation receives more than 25% of class support.	Presentation receives over 90% vote of support.

Conclusion

Create your PhotoStory about your planet covering the facts you identified and why NASA should fund exploration of your planet. Carefully read the evaluation rubric so you will know how your project will be evaluated. In addition to your teacher’s evaluation the number of votes your PhotoStory receives from your classmates will be used to determine how convincing you are that your planet is the most interesting and therefore worthy of NASA funding its exploration.

Credits

Images Courtesy of NASA

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Last updated on December 1, 2010 by Barbara Powell-Schager

Planets in our Solar System

A WebQuest